After last weekend’s over-hyping disaster that was billed as a ‘pyrotechnic firework spectacular’ but was ultimately a damp squib, the marketing team put themselves in the firing line again by labelling Friday’s match against Cardiff as ‘the Battle of the Bridge’.
Whether they were trying to tap into some latent Anglo-Welsh rivalry or simply alluding to the difficulty of getting to the ground in recent weeks, the upshot was a pretty low attendance and an atmosphere that realistically matched the friendly nature of the fixture.
To be fair, the club has been caught between a rock and a hard place with the demise of Worcester and Wasps and arranging extra fixtures to compensate is one way of reimbursing season card holders. However, it isn’t the only one and perhaps alternatives such as straight refunds or credits for merchandise might have been more straightforward.
That said, given the current financial climate I suppose putting on another game does at least afford them the chance to claw back some of the revenue that will have been lost on account of the two cancellations.
However, season card holders clearly voted with their feet on Friday and whilst to some this was a disappointment, the reality is that when results are poor and matchday experiences are questionable then issues can arise. The club are brilliant at promoting the Bears brand but there needs to be an equal focus on mastering the matchday basics.
For every snappy headline there needs to be quicker food and drink distribution, for every clever social media video there needs to be sufficient stock and for every ticket offer there needs to be a full complement of photos when the team is announced on the big screen.
There continues to be a huge groundswell of support and appreciation for the club since Steve Lansdown salvaged it from the depths of Championship despair - and rightly so - but professional sport can be the ficklest of businesses and long-standing fans should never be taken for mugs with the relationship between club and support always a process rather than than an outcome.
The forthcoming match against the Springboks was a marketing coup but with a sell-out crowd expected everything needs to go well to inject some feel good factor back into the Gate.
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